FSH: MONDAY MORNING HUDDLE

January 18th, 2010 - 8:25pm PST

[Late Edition]

Monday Morning Huddle

The Divisional Round

Much like the Wildcard round, this past weekend of post season action took on a similar flavor with the NFL saving its best for last or at least it’s most competitive. The first three games of the weekend followed the similar pattern of a non-competitive one sided match with the Saints, Colts, and Vikings all advancing with lopsided wins.

It was only the Sunday afternoon match that offered any kind of a well contested matchup. The New York Jets, better than a touchdown underdog to the San Diego Chargers would not only challenge the favorites, but gave NFL fans an exciting game to remember.

The upstart Jets, handed a gift in week 16 by the Colts earned their way into the playoffs with a win over the Bengals in the season finale. Their victory over the Bengals for a second consecutive weekend earned them a trip to San Diego to face the Chargers in the divisional round.

The Chargers entered the contest as thee hottest teams in the NFL with 11 straight victories and while they were having all kinds of regular season success, one had to wonder if they could overcome their recent struggles in the post season.

The Chargers having been passing their way past opponents most of the season led by quarterback Philip Rivers (4,254-yards passing, 28 touchdowns), but on Sunday they seemed to have employed a game plan that did not incorporate the vertical game. The Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis has been heralded as probably the best shutdown corner in the game today and it appeared on Sunday the Chargers showed great respect; maybe too much respect.

In all three previous playoff games, the winners all stuck to what got them there, but it seemed the Chargers refrained from taking too many shots downfield. With a low risk offense there weren't many points scored and that played right into the Jets hands. Let’s not take anything away from the Jets defense that played extremely well (2-sacks, 2-turnovers), but for much of the game they were hardly challenged; conservative play-calling may have been the undoing for the Chargers.

The Jets used their solid defense effort and a stout running game (169 yards rushing) to keep the game close and in the 4th quarter a 53 yard touchdown run by rookie running back Shonn Greene took all of the wind out of the Chargers sails. Greene has suddenly emerged as a rushing force in the playoffs and will surely be featured against the Colts in the title game.

The Jets rookie quarterback was not spectacular by any stretch, but he limited his mistakes and his 12 of 23 passing for 100 yards proved to be enough. The Chargers did exploit one deficiency in the Jets secondary, tight end Antonio Gates had a field day much of the afternoon catching intermediate and short passes; something the Jets will likely see from Colts tight end Dallas Clark.

With Jets win over San Diego, the stage is set for a rematch between New York and the team that seemingly gifted their entry into the post season (the Colts). In their first meeting the Colts appeared to have laid down sitting most of their starters in the second half, but it was still a competitive game at that point.

This weekend fans will see if the Colts made a poor calculated mistake by taking the afternoon off in Week 16 or if the Jets will just prove to be just another casualty that Indy will quickly dispose of on their way to Florida.

More Injury notes from Sunday...

RB-Pierre Thomas (Saints)...expected to be fine.

WR-Robert Meachum (Saints)....x-rays on ankle negative.

TE-Jeremy Shockey (Saints)....expected to play.

DL-Shaun Ellis (Jets)....fractured arm, will play.

DL-Ray Edwards (Vikings)....expected to play.

Quick Notes:

The Vikings Brett Favre has been playing real well the last couple of weeks. In his last three starts he has passed for 871 yards, thrown 10 touchdowns, and completed 69 percent (66 of 95) of his passes. Favre seems to be peaking at the right time once again and could be on the verge of a magical run.

The Jets running back Shonn Greene has been on a roll the last several weeks and he has been rewarded for his efforts. Greene is averaging over 105 yards rushing over his last four games and over 5.7 yards per carry with two touchdowns. As a result of his success on the ground the Jets rookie has averaged 18 carries per game over that stretch, including 22 per game in the post season.

The Saints wide receiver Marques Colston has been Drew Brees go-to receiver since the two began playing together in 2006. This season has not been any different, with Colston leading the team with 70 receptions and nine touchdowns. On Saturday in their wildcard matchup Colston was targeted nine times and again led the team with six catches for 83 yards and a score. This weekend expect Colston to be heavily targeted once again.

Remember to check back for more "Monday Morning Huddle!"